Poland briefly shuts Rzeszów and Lublin airports after morning military scramble

Commercial flights at Rzeszów–Jasionka and Lublin–Świdnik, the two eastern-most international airports in Poland, were halted for just over an hour on the morning of 30 September after the Armed Forces scrambled fighters in response to a new wave of Russian missile and drone strikes on neighbouring Ukraine. Poland’s air-navigation agency PANSA issued a NOTAM at 06:05 CEST that suspended all civil operations within a 50-kilometre radius of both airports while military aircraft were operating at high altitude. The move also triggered an alert text from the Government Centre for Security to residents in Lublin and Sub-Carpathian provinces advising them to remain indoors. Both airports are less than 100 km from the Ukrainian border and have become critical hubs for NGO personnel, government delegations and defence-industry cargo flying into the region since the start of the war. According to airport operator data, six departures and five arrivals — including LOT Polish Airlines, Ryanair and Wizz Air services — were delayed or diverted to Warsaw during the lockdown. No flights were cancelled outright. PANSA lifted the restriction at 07:15 CEST after the Operational Command confirmed that Russian missiles had not crossed into Polish airspace and that “there was no longer any threat on Polish territory.” Operations fully normalised by 08:30 CEST. The episode underscores the new operational reality for corporate travel managers routing staff through southeastern Poland. While Warsaw Chopin remains unaffected, contingency plans should include buffer times, flexible tickets and the possibility of surface transfer from Kraków or Katowice if airspace is abruptly restricted. Airlines continue to rely on inertial and ground-based navigation aids and have not amended their schedules, but the incident may prompt carriers to review duty-of-care notices for crews overnighting in the region. Travel-risk consultants advise multinationals with projects in Ukraine to register staff on their traveller-tracking systems and to brief them on the EU civil-protection alert app, which mirrors domestic text warnings. They also remind companies that the temporary closure did not activate EU-level passenger-rights compensation because it was deemed an extraordinary security measure beyond the airlines’ control.